Fertilizer-distributer



(NoModeL) J. L. DEW. FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

No. 375,052. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LANE DEW, OF FREE STATE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

FERTILIZER-DI STRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,052, dated December20, 1887.

(No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN LANE DEW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Free State, in the county of Marion and State of SouthGarolina,have invented a new and useful Improvement in FertilizerDistributers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in fertilizer-distributers; andit consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices,that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointedout in the claim.

This invention is an improvement on the fertilizer-distributor for whichLetters Patent of the United States,No. 340,217 ,were granted to S. W.Jackson April 20, 1886.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective view of afertiiizer-distributer embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 isa plan view. Fig. 4 isa detail view of the lever V.

A represents the frame. B represents the hopper mounted on the rear endof the frame, and 0 represents the handles which are secured to theframe and strengthened by bracearms a.

D represents the drivewheel, which hasits shaftjournaled in bearings Eon the under side of the frame,near the frontend of the latter. Fromopposite sides of this drive-wheel, near the periphery thereof and atsuitable regular distances apart, project tappet-pins F.

G- represents a pair of covering shovels, which are attached to thelower ends of standards 1'], which standards are secured to the underside of the frame, near the rear end thereof.

The hopper has a contracted discharge open ing, b, in its bottom, and inthe rear side of the hopper is a vertical opening, b, which communicateswith the said opening b;

I represents a cutoff plate, which is arranged on the rear side of thehopper, is adapted to close the openings 1) and b to any desired extent,a'nd is provided with a longitudinal slot, K, through which extends ascrew, L, that enters the rear side of the hopper.

M represents an inverted-U-shaped yoke, which spans the space betweenthe sides of the frame at a point slightly in advance of the hopper.

V represents an operating-lever,-which is bent substantially at rightangles, as shown, and is pivoted or hinged to the horizontal portion ofthe yoke. The frontlonger portion of the operating-lever is bifurcatedto form arms W, which are arranged on opposite sides of thedriving-wheel, and are adapted to be successively engaged by thetappet-pins F when the wheel rotates. The rear portion, X, of theoperating-lever extends downward in ad- Vance of the hopper and isprovided with a number of openings, a.

N represents a delivery spout or shoe,which is arranged under thedischarge-openings of the hopper and is disposed longitudinally and in aslightly-inclined position, the front end of the spout or shoe beinghigher than the rear end thereof. This spout or shoe is suspended belowthe hopper by means of a flexible endless strap, O, of any suitablematerial, which strap is attached to pins 0' on the under side of theframe, as shown. It will be observed that the loops of the strap 0 areconnected to the spout or shoe near the frontand rear ends of thelatter, and thereby the said spout or shoe is supported at differentpoints of its length,and consequently is enabled to swing or oscillatein a longitudinal direction. These loops pass through openings in thesides of the spout or shoe and pass around the lower side thereof. Byshifting the strap 0 on the pins 0 one of the loops may be lengthenedand the other shortened, as will be readily understood, and thereby thespout or shoe may be adjusted to any desired inclination, so as toregulate the quantity of fertilizer distributed by the ma chine. Thefront end of the shoe or spout is connected to the lower end of the armX of the operatinglever by means of a flexible strap or link, 1?, whichis secured in one of the open ings it, according to the position inwhich the spout or shoe is arranged.

Owing to the fact that the spout or shoe is suspended in an inclinedposition by loops attached to thespout orshoe at difl'erent points ofits length, the normal tendency of the spout or shoe is to swingrearwardly, as will be readily understood.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The fertilizer is placed inthe hopper, the cutoff plate is caused to open the opening b and theopening I) to the desired extent, and the machine is driven across thefield. The rotation of the driving-wheel causes the tappet- I greatercertainty and regularity than heretopinto successively engage the lowerside of the front portions of the operating-lever, and thereby rock thesame upon the yoke M, and consequently the lower arm, X, of the saidoperating-lever is caused to oscillate in a longitudinal direction, aswill be readily understood. The said arm Xof the operating-lever, beingconnected to the front end of the spout or shoe by a flexible straporlink, imparts oscillating motion to the said spout or shoe, and thelatter distributes the fertilizer which falls upon it from the hopperonto the ground, Where it is covered up by the shovels G. By arrangingthe spout or shoe in an inclined po sition, as shown and hereinbeforedescribed, and by suspending it from the frame by the flexible loopedstrap 0 and attaching it to the operating-lever by the flexible strap,the oscillating or swinging motion of the spout or shoe is verymaterially increased, and the same is thereby adapted to distributefertilizer in greater quantities and with a much fore.

Having thus described my invention, I clai m The combination, inafertilizer-distributor, of the hopper, the spout or shoe, the flexibleendless strap 0, attached to the frame and having the loops attached tothe said shoe at different points of its length and suspending the samein an inclined position below the hopper, said strap being adapted to beshifted at the points of its connection to the fra ne,for the purposeset forth, the operating-lever X, the flexible strap P, connecting thefront end of the shoe or spout to the lever, and the wheel to actuatethe lcver,substantiall y as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN LANE DEW.

"Witnesses:

CHESLEY DANIEL EVANS, J r., XVILLIAM AIKEN WALL.

